Okay, this isn’t really design-orientated, however it is something that I thought I’d blog about.

Twitter, some call it a mini-blog, some call it asinine. But I like it. Not just for the fact that I feel I can be more social with it than other social sites, but because I’ve found it very helpful. First, when I learned about MySpace, I wasn’t so sure about it. My friends started telling me how cool it was because it had games and such. So, I went on it and I enjoyed the experience of finding friends I had lost contact with. I remember how I thought through Classmates.com, I’d be able to find old college chums, but they started charging before I really reconnected with anyone. With MySpace, I was also able to keep in touch with old co-workers and such. Then Facebook opened up for those of us without “approved” connection emails. I was able to find all types of friends and family who I had lost touch with. I even found some old army buddies I hadn’t seen in over a decade. The problem with these sites was that I am reluctant on adding people I don’t know. I ended up making an art only page on MySpace, and a fan page on Facebook to allow for strangers.

But, with Twitter, I add people who I feel could add some type of conversation or connection with all the time. I have found other graphic designers and even politicians. In fact, a certain Texas senator has responded to some of my questions. I have had people on Twitter offer help during my current crisis of being unemployed, even some in other cities.

The other aspect of twitter, other than networking, is news. I have few people I follow, such as NASA and CNN, who keep me up on quick 140 character news bites.

And finally, by having the twitter badges on your blog or site, you allow for an opportunity to add more meta keywords to possibly add some SEO power to your site. When I was at DGWB, I remember learning how much traffic a blog can bring to your site. I see Twitter as a tool that does a bit of the same.

So, that’s pretty much in a nutshell what I use twitter for and why. What’s your excuse for using or even not using. add a comment.

Graphic designers, usually start off working in some sort of a company first. It’s pretty rare to come off the line doing just freelance, unless you have some incredible connections or luck. Most of us will usually start off in a studio artist capability. I graduated a few years back, and the first thing I did was get employment in a print shop. I recommend this for most any designer who is starting out. At least one year in some printing capability will not only give you some great experience it really looks good on the resume. The reason is because anyone with limited knowledge of a computer can truthfully put together a file that should print. However once that file hits a RIP, it pays to build your file correct.
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